


'Cause I knew everything when I was young

by fallendarknight86



Series: "Cardigan" [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: College!AU, Drama, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Faberry, Femslash, Fluff, One-Shot, Quinn and Rachel are in love, Romance, Sibling feud, Smut, Thanksgiving Dinner, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:01:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27767167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallendarknight86/pseuds/fallendarknight86
Summary: Set in the "You put me on and said I was your favorite" universe, Quinn and Rachel go back to Lima to spend their second Thanksgiving with their families in their hometown...a surprise guest will might spoil all the fun.
Relationships: Rachel Berry/Quinn Fabray
Series: "Cardigan" [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031283
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	'Cause I knew everything when I was young

**Author's Note:**

> Ideas come and go like the clouds...this one came during a late night conversation with a dear friend about the Quinn/Frannie's dynamics and even if this isn't really exploring all the depths of that relationship, I hope it provides a glimpse of what I think of it mixed with good old Faberry romance and some smut. 
> 
> Enjoy!

** 'Cause I knew everything when I was young **

It was the first time they were flying back to Lima to spend Thanksgiving together, with their families under the same roof. It was the first time since they had gotten together and they were off to college, living the dreams they had always imagined of. The first year Judy and her Fathers had surprised them in New York and they had lived the full New Yorker experience, eating turkey in her small kitchen and watched the Macy’s Parade. 

Rachel was walking around the empty loft, already vacated by Kurt - spending it with Blaine at his family’s place in Montana - and Santana who had already joined Brittany in Lima, the say before. 

She walked around fixing the mess Santana had left, in the haste of packing her things and get on a plane from JFK, and collecting the last things she needed to pack for herself. She was in the middle of gathering her music sheets and texts, when a knock on the door happened. 

Who could be at 5 PM on Monday before Thanksgiving? She stood on her tiptoes to stare through and the peephole and grinned at the sight she found on the other side. 

“Quinn.” Rachel slid the door open and launched herself into her girlfriend’s arms, who easily caught her around her waist. 

“Surprise.” Quinn nuzzled her face into the side of hers and pulled her closer, feeling her whole body relax just by being in Rachel’s arms. She was home. 

“I thought we’d meet at JFK.” Rachel pulled her inside the loft and slid the door back closed, locking it with the bolt and the keys. 

“Yeah, I wanted to study some more in my quiet dorm room but I thought I could still do it here.” Quinn dropped the duffel bag to the floor along with her laptop bag. “I can read a couple of chapters tonight, with my girlfriend tucked in my side.” She cupped her face with her cold hands and leaned in, to kiss her. She kissed her softly and slowly, savoring the simple taste of Rachel that she hadn’t had in days. 

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Rachel’s arms slid around her waist, lacing behind her back under the jacket she wore. 

“Do you want me to make you something nice for dinner or shall we order in?” Quinn pulled back to hang her jacket by the door and sit her boots beside Rachel’s. It really felt like she was coming home to Rachel, in a place that was theirs. 

“Let’s order in, so you can study and I can finish packing and we can spend the rest of the evening cuddling.” She gently pushed the blonde against the closed door and nipped at her bottom lip, feeling Quinn moan. 

“This is definitely one of the reasons why I came here.” She tangled her hands in her chestnut locks. She tugged at them and just dipped to crush her mouth against Rachel. 

“We should get you out of these clothes.” Rachel leaned behind her back to unzip her dress. “And into something more homey.” 

“Or nothing at all, right?” Quinn felt her dress pool at her feet and with one kick to the side, she had flung it over, by the coffee table. 

“Or that.” Rachel smirked when she took in the sight of her girlfriend’s half naked body. She was even more gorgeous than she had remembered from the last weekend together, a month back. 

“It’s not fair.” Quinn’s hands roamed between their bodies to expertly undo the button of her jeans shorts. With one last push, she had them pooling around their feet. “You’re still half dressed.” 

“I thought you came here to study.” Rachel smirked and just went with it, dropping her sweater off to the floor. “Since when is anatomy part of your course?”

“Writers should explore, you know? Be curious to experience everything.” Quinn pushed her against the wall beside the door and latched her lips around her neck. She sucked on it, while her hands worked both her shorts and underwear off. 

“It’s been so long.” Rachel whimpered and kicked the clothes aside. Her left leg wrapped itself around the back of Quinn’s thigh, tugging her in until she could feel her excitement on her skin. Until she could feel how much she had missed being intimate with Quinn, who was rubbing her slowly. Who was stroking her in a way she had seen her play with the strings of a guitar. 

“I missed you, Rachel.” Quinn’s other hand tilted her head back, against the door, and held it there while their faces stayed inches apart. She looked down into her eyes turning darker with each movement of her fingers. She felt her pants becoming more erratic by each minute. She heard her getting louder as she thrusted harder. 

“God…” Rachel’s fingers itched to touch her too. So she simply held onto the small of her back and caressed her scar. She touched it with familiarity and intimacy, reminding them it was as Quinn’s as Rachel’s. Every scar was for Quinn to forget and for Rachel to love. 

“Let it go for me.” Quinn dipped down to kiss her slowly. She kissed her like in the movies. She kissed her to steal her breath away, while she pushed a third finger in and filled her up, completely. With her thumb stroking the underside of her nub, she felt Rachel moan desperately in her mouth and cling to her. She held onto her back while she rocked her hips back and forth against the wall. The sound of her bare ass slapping against the wall was like a song to Quinn’s ears. It was like a perfect song that she got stuck with and needed to hear over and over again. 

“Quinn!” Rachel pulled from her mouth to release a strangled cry. She moaned so loudly that she might have been heard by the neighbors next door but she could care less. She had to endure through Santana’s sex calls most of the time, but this was something else entirely. This was something she didn’t want to hold back from. 

“Fuck, I missed you.” Drawing her fingers back, she slipped her hand behind the thigh hoisted over her waist and lowered it back on the floor, now shifting the hand to her bare asscheek. 

“I missed you more.” Rachel’s forehead dropped against her bare shoulder. She panted slowly, trying to gain her bearings back but she felt tingling all over. It was impossible not to feel the effects Quinn had on her. To feel the effect sex with Quinn had on her. 

“C’mon…” Quinn leaned down to scoop her up in her arms and, with ease, she carried her bridal style towards her bedroom. She could always get some chapters in, after dinner. 

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

Rachel followed the scent of homemade food and the sound of music coming from the kitchen of the loft. The three of them were awful behind the stoves but of course, Quinn was going to be excellent at that too. She had sampled that whenever the blonde was over and spoiled her with some new vegan recipe she wanted to try out, since Yale dorm rooms didn’t come with a kitchen. 

“Quinn…” Rachel caught herself staring without really wanting to look like a stalker. The mere sight of Quinn, sitting at her kitchen counter, with a book in front of her and in comfortable home clothes made her stomach fill with imaginary butterflies. It was everything she wanted to come home to. 

“Hey you.” Quinn lifted her gaze to find her and smiled. She smiled so brightly that Rachel felt like blushing, even if it had been almost 2 years. 2 years of love and happiness and longing for the woman in front of her. 

“I thought we’d order in.” She approached the stoves slowly. Her curiosity got the best out of her and she just lifted the lid of the bubbling pan, revealing a red sauce that smelled like her grandmother’s Sunday lunch. 

“The place on the 3rd is closed at this late hour…” Quinn used her pen as a bookmark before closing the textbook with a low thud. “I couldn’t think of anything better and since you had the ingredients, it was easy to put it together.” 

“It smells so good.” She eyed the blonde who was sitting on one of the high stools and had a soft smile on her face. “What?”

“Nothing.” Quinn held her hand out and Rachel was quick to close the remaining distance between them. She used that hand to slip Quinn’s arms around her waist in a familiar embrace while her arms circled her neck. 

“I wish we could stay a few more days here, just the two of us.” Rachel nuzzled her face in the crook of her neck. She nuzzled it more deeply to smell the lingering scent of sex, mixed with Quinn’s perfume. It was stronger there. 

“We can come back here after New Year’s Eve. We spend Xmas in Lima and ring in the New Year here, just us.” Quinn whispered quietly in her ear. She pulled her close when Rachel nodded in her shoulder. “A few years and I will be here with you.” 

“You want to move to New York after college? I thought you’d take their post-grad programs.” Rachel lifted her head to look at her. 

“I will evaluate my options but New York is at the top of my list.” Quinn smiled and leaned down to peck her pouty lips. “I know what I want.” 

“I don’t want you to limit yourself on my own accord. 83 miles ain’t that far.” She played with the fabric of her t-shirt. 

“But it ain’t that close either.” Quinn pulled her between her knees. “I want this okay? I want to have a place to call ours, something we can come home to.” 

“I am a high maintenance diva.” Rachel looked away from her. “Have you asked Santana or Kurt? They’d kill me most days.”

“You’re not.” Quinn brushed her lips along her cheek and her ear. “We all have our flaws, but I love you and you love me. We will argue and get mad, but it’s what couples do.” She smiled and pulled her closer. “I am not going to stop loving you because you cannot cook or you don’t pick after your clothes, when you get home.”

“It was one time. You stumbled but you didn’t fall.” She looked at the blonde with a pout. 

“My point is that we’re not perfect and why should we aim for it? Perfection is boring.” She leaned down to kiss her pout. 

“Agreed.” Rachel chuckled and tugged her down to kiss her softly. “You snore.” 

“I certainly do not.” Quinn pulled back with a shocked look on her face.

“You do. It’s not loud but when you do, I know you’re there beside me and I feel safe.” Rachel leaned her head against her. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” Quinn smiled and pecked her lips softly. “Now, let me drop the pasta in so I can feed you.” 

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

The sound of the doorbell pulled Quinn from setting the table. She fixed the front of her dress and walked towards the main door, to find Leroy, Hiram and Rachel on her front porch. 

“We’re a bit early.” Rachel smiled cheekily and looked at her fathers who had wine and a cake in their hands. 

“You’re perfect, please do come in.” Quinn stepped aside to let the trio in. She took Rachel’s coat and hung it inside the closet by the door, before doing the same with Berry men’s. 

“Is that homemade raspberry sauce that I am smelling?” Hiram squealed in a way that reminded Quinn of Rachel. There was no doubt about whose DNA was coursing through her. 

“Yes. My Mom made it with the fresh raspberries that Mr. Wilde has in his greenhouse. You can join her in the kitchen, she will enjoy having an adult to talk to.” Quinn smiled when both men adventured themselves in the big house, leaving them to have a moment. 

“Hi.” Rachel didn’t waste any more second and just pulled her in, closing the gap between their lips. She kissed Quinn slowly, hands cupping each side of her neck. 

“Hi.” Quinn ended the kiss with a tender Eskimo kiss. She brushed their lips together and cradled the brunette with her arms, stroking the base of her spine through her dress. 

“We should do something tomorrow. Just the two of us.” Rachel whispered against her mouth and trailed her hands down her front, playing with the fabric of her dress. “I would avoid the mall because of the shopping frenzy…”

“So, you don’t want to head to the music store and see what bargains you can have on Barbra’s evergreens?” Quinn chuckled softly.

“Barbra deserves more than some discounted memorabilia.” Rachel scoffed. 

“Your obsession for Babra is almost insane but surely cute.” She took Rachel by the hand and led her into the living room, where the table was set for six.

“Why six?” Rachel helped Quinn folding the napkins into perfect squares.

“Mom said we might have a guest. Probably a friend of hers.” Quinn shrugged lightly. “The more the merrier no?” 

“Absolutely. Where do I sit?” Rachel looked at the table. 

“You can sit beside me. Mom will take the head since she might have to go back and forth from the kitchen. Your Fathers have plenty of choice.” Quinn smiled and leaned against the back of her chair. 

“Did you cook anything or is it safe to eat?” Rachel chuckled and stepped up into her space, hands each side of her on the table.

“Very funny. You ate my food two days ago, but I’ll remember that when I make us dinner after a long day at the theater.” She rolled her eyes and tried to slip from her grasp, but Rachel leaned in and crushed their mouths together. It was a hard and desperate kiss that left her longing for more. That left her longing to drag Rachel to her room and spend the rest of the day making love to her. “What was that for?” 

“Because you think of a future with me and it sounds like a normal thing.” Rachel looked up into her eyes. “Like we’re not just in our twenties and anything could happen to tear us apart.” 

“I may be young but I know I want to grow old with you.” Quinn tilted her head back to kiss her lingeringly. 

“Can we stay in New York, next year?” Rachel held onto her wrists and her thumb couldn’t help but brush over the familiar scar. “I want to spend it with you, preferably naked.”

“One track mind, Berry.” Quinn pecked the tip of her nose but nodded anyway. “But we totally should do that.” 

“Do what?” Leroy and Hiram entered the living room, carrying a pair of plates while Judy followed with the turkey.

“Nothing, Sir.” Quinn coughed embarrassed and pulled back to make room on the table for the peas bowl and the raspberry sauce. 

“You’re still scared of me, kiddo?” Leroy raised both eyebrows at the blonde, who blushed with embarrassment. “Good.”

“Dad, stop picking on her.” Rachel sided with the blonde and kissed her shoulder. “He’s just messing with you.” 

“Don’t spoil all my fun. Am I not supposed to intimidate your significant other? She’s taking my baby girl away from me.” Leroy took a seat at the head of the table, leaving one open seat on Judy’s left side. 

“Quinn is not taking me anywhere, I just follow her willingly.” Rachel smiled when the said blonde pulled the chair out for her to sit on. 

“I know you do, honey.” Hiram stepped in before a simple joke turned into worse. “Your Dad is kidding.” He threw a stern stare towards his husband.

“If you have stopped picking on my daughter, it is my turn to grill yours.” Judy had placed two turkeys on the table. One for the carnivorous side of the table and the smallest one for Rachel and Hiram.” 

“What?” Rachel squealed without really wanting to. 

“Oh dear, do you think we can have a normal family dinner here?” She took a sip from the glass filled with water. The longing for something stronger still lingered in the back of her mind. She could still feel the inadequate satisfaction that water caused her. It wasn’t like a good glass of Bordeaux.

“Mom.” Quinn warned her as she curt into her turkey. “You’ve known Rachel for a while now.” 

“True, but before my sobriety allowed me to get to know your girlfriend, you two went off to college.” Judy dropped a gentle amount of sauce on her turkey thigh. 

“Don’t you think we should say what we’re thankful for, before we dig in and this turns into a third degree over dinner?” Quinn reached for Rachel’s hand and held her hand out for Judy. 

“You’re right, honey. You want to go first, Rachel?” Judy smiled at the petite brunette. 

“Oh okay. So this is the first time, so please bear with me.” She cleared her throat. “So, I am thankful for-“

DING -DONG. 

“Saved by the bell.” Quinn leaned in to kiss the skin behind Rachel’s ear and squeezed her hand softly. 

“I’ll be right back.” Judy folded the napkin beside her plate and stood to go check the front door. Her high heels could be heard across the hardwood floors until she stood in front of the door and opened it. 

A happy laugh could be heard from the living room and to Quinn, it felt like ages before. She hadn’t heard her mother laugh so naturally since she was a kid. Since she was just a kid who laughed and played in the backyard with her sister, without a cloud over them. 

“Do you want to go check?” Rachel nodded towards the open doorway. 

“I…” Quinn stood from the seat when Judy’s footsteps got closer. She was coming back and she wasn’t alone. She had to hold onto the back of the chair when her eyes fell on the familiar blonde standing there, behind her mother. _Their_ mother. 

“Quinn?” Rachel stood upon seeing her girlfriend’s reaction. “Are you okay?” She went tto take her by the hand but the blonde nodded and approached them. 

“Lucy.” She still disliked the way her sister said her first name. It was the same condescending way that she addressed her with. 

“Quinn. That’s my name, Francine.” Quinn squared her shoulders and looked into her sister’s blue eyes. Of course, blonde with perfect blue eyes, clear like the ocean. 

“You’ve grown.” Frannie nodded softly and stared back at her. Gone was their height difference. They were equally tall, now. Gone was the overweight kid that she had left behind. 6 years had changed everything for them. 

“So have you.” With her arms crossed over her chest, she looked back at their mother. “You’ve known about her coming over for long?”

“Don’t be mad, Quinn.” Judy stepped in between them to try and placate her youngest. “Frannie called a couple of weeks ago, she wanted to come home and I wanted my girls with me, for the holidays.”

“You should’ve told me.” Quinn shook her head.”i wouldn’t have bothered to waste your money on a plane ticket.” 

“Quinn…” Rachel called softly from behind her. She said it softly enough to let her know she was by her side and, at the same time, that she was still there. She was still in her corner. 

“You’re done traveling around with Daddy’s money? What a luxury to be his favorite despite all the shit you’re pulling.” She rolled her eyes at her sister. “Do you think I wouldn’t know? A drop-out student doesn’t travel for years without the right money to do so. Unless you put those looks to a better use.” The slap came as a natural reaction to her insinuation. Quinn knew she deserved it, but she had no intentions of taking her words back. 

“Stop it, both of you.” Judy moved to attend to the mark Frannie had left on Quinn’s face, with her ring. 

“I am outta here.” Quinn moved past her older sister, not without a push against her shoulder to get her out of her way. It took them a bunch of seconds to head the door slam shut, hard. 

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

“I am so sorry.” Judy dropped on her chair, with her head in her hands. “I am sorry I ruined your Thanksgiving.” 

“You don’t have to be.” Hiram sat beside her and rubbed her back gently. “Hiram Berry, pleased to meet you Francine. Judy has told us great things about you.” He held his hand out. 

“It’s a pleasure Mr. Berry.” Frannie shook his hand politely and looked at the two other guests. 

“These are my husband and our daughter, Rachel.” Hiram pointed to Leroy, who had gotten closer and to Rachel, who looked out of the window for any sign of Quinn.

“That Rachel?” Frannie asked, staring at the back of her head.

“What do you mean?” Rachel turned to look at this woman, who looked closer to Quinn than her girlfriend really liked to admit but that, to her, she couldn’t be any more different. 

“You’re the extremely talented girl that Quinn has obsessed over, for years. She came home to gush about your singing and how pretty you were.” Frannie shook her head amused. “No wonder she’d target you when she realized she couldn’t have you as her friend. She convinced you to give her another chance?”

“She didn’t have to convince me of anything. Quinn and I-“

“They’re in a relationship, Frannie.” Judy looked over at Rachel with a soft smile. “They’ve been dating for almost two years and they make each other very happy. We were supposed to celebrate Thanksgiving together when you came.”

“And ruined your Gay parade?” She looked over at the brunette with a hardened glare. “So, Quinn went gay for you? Always thought it’d be Santana.” 

“What are you trying to imply, Miss Fabray?” Leroy thundered from the othet side. 

“Nothing really. Her choice, after all.” Frannie shrugged. “If you ask me-“

“No one is asking you, with all due respect.” Rachel checked her phone. “You have no say in what happens in Quinn’s life. You haven’t been here for her when she needed it the most, so why should she need you now?”

“I am still her sister.” Frannie said back.

“Then, be it. Be her sister by backing her up in the choices she made and she still makes.” Rachel looked at Judy. “I think I have an idea about Quinn’s whereabouts. I’ll bring her home.”

“Please, do.” Judy nodded, wiping her eyes. 

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

“I knew you’d be here.” Rachel walked down the steps of the familiar bleachers, towards the blonde. 

“I knew you’d find me.” Quinn looked at her when she sat down, beside her. “I ruined everything with my dramatic stormout?”

“You did not, even if you should perfect your exit.” Rachel slipped her arm through Quinn’s and nuzzled her face against the warm coat she wore, fending the coldness off.

“You can show me.” Quinn leaned down to nuzzle her nose along her temple, inhaling her scent. 

“Are you okay?” Rachel laced their fingers together and tucked them in the pocket of her coat, hoping to warm Quinn’s hand up. 

“No.” Quinn shook her head softly and looked over at the football field. “She was the Head Cheerleader before me. She has always been the best between us: the prettiest, the smartest, the most popular.” 

“I disagree.” Rachel looked up at her. “You’re prettier and you got into Yale, Quinn. Not everyone gets into Yale with early admission and with those grades.” She squeezed her fingers. “Your GPA is impressive, you’re second in your year.” 

“Yeah maybe.” Quinn nodded softly. “Impressive for someone who got pregnant at 16 and has been a mess for years.” 

“Stop it.” Rachel bumped her nose against the side of her jawline. “You’re not just that girl. You’re much more than that, Quinn.”

“And she’s always been much more than me.” Quinn pushed her forehead against her temple. “Do you know we attended all of her Cheerleading competitions? They never came to see mine, even if I was younger than she was when I won my three titles in a row.” She took in a deep breath. “My Dad threw a party when she got into Dartmouth. It’s where we all were supposed to go...He’s never looked at me the way she looked at her.” 

“It’s not your fault, Quinn. Your Dad doesn’t know it’s his loss, not yours.” Rachel leaned up to drop a soft kiss on her trembling lips. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing.” She pecked her again, snuggling in. 

“It shines so bright tonight.” Quinn looked above their heads, tucking Rachel closer. 

“You’ve always had an easy way with stars.” Rachel followed her line of sight, to catch it as well. Quinn was right, it shone bright above their heads. 

“I am dating the brightest of them all, aren’t I?” Quinn looked down at the brunette, who beamed up at her. “Whenever I miss you, I look up and search for it. It makes me feel a tad bit closer to where you are.” She leaned down to kiss her gently. “We should go back, I don’t want you to catch a cold.” Quinn’s arm circled her back, pulling her closer to steal another kiss from her mouth. 

“I have you to keep me warm.” Rachel smiled, but she was freezing. November in Lima was even colder than New York and she just wanted to sit by the fireplace, with a cup of tea between her hands. 

“I know you’re freezing, baby.” Quinn pulled them to their feet and wrapped her girlfriend in her arms. “I love you…”

“I love you too.” Rachel held onto the lapels of her coat to lean up and kiss her one more time, before she followed Quinn back to the parking lot. 

They could go home, together.

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

When they entered Fabray's residence, Quinn just wanted to go upstairs and crawl in bed, to hide away from her family in the living room. She could hear the quiet voices coming from the living room and just followed Rachel, who was still holding onto her hand and made sure to keep her thumb brushing over the scar on her wrist. She never stopped caressing the marked parts of her body. 

“Quinn…” Judy was the first one to meet her halfway. She pulled her in a hug and Quinn couldn’t help but melt into it. She had never been hugged so strongly by her mother before. Was that how kids usually felt? How Frannie felt? 

“Sorry I ruined dinner.” Quinn nuzzled into her mother’s shoulder a little more, when she felt the woman’s arms squeeze around her waist. 

“It’s okay, dear. I should’ve told you.” Judy pulled back to cup her daughter’s face. She always tried to be braver than she really felt. Stronger than she was supposed to be. “Are you hungry? We can eat something.” 

“No, I am not really hungry but you should go ahead. Have you eaten at all?” Quinn looked around the room, but the table was exactly the way she had left it: half-filled glasses, half eaten plates. 

“We were waiting for you. Let’s sit down and eat some of the delicious things Judy made for us.” Leroy was the first to approach her. He stood in front of her with warm eyes and a soft smile that she had never had the luxury to receive from her own father. 

“I…” Quinn looked at Rachel over his shoulder, who just nodded softly. “I guess we can eat some, yeah.” She nodded softly and squeezed his hand. She held onto his fingers a little longer before going back to her seat, beside Rachel. 

“I’ll help you with the food, Judy.” Hiram took the turkey back to the kitchen, so they could reheat something. It wasn’t going to be as good as it came out from the oven, but it was better than plain cold. Leroy watched the three girls for a little longer and then joined his husband back into the kitchen, leaving them on their own. 

“How long are you planning to stay?” Quinn was the first to break the uncomfortable silence of the room. She reached for the water and poured it in both hers and Rachel’s glasses. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t think about it.” Frannie looked at the two girls across from her. She stared at the way Rachel’s arm flexed under the table and reached for Quinn’s, presumably holding onto her hand. 

“You’re not going back to Dartmouth, am I right?” Quinn nodded softly. 

“No. I can’t go back.” Frannie looked down. “What about you? Yale, right?”

“We go back to New York on Sunday. We should be back from Christmas but it really depends…” Quinn furrowed her brows. 

“On me being here? This is my house too, Lucy.” Frannie looked up. 

“It’s Quinn. My name is Quinn.” The younger blonde slapped her free hand on the table, startling the two other girls. “You made sure I hated myself for being Lucy, remember? The chubby bookworm that wasn’t cool enough for your pretty friends, when they came over and made fun of me.” She balled her hand in a tight fist. “This might be your house but for how long? Until the next best thing catches your attention and you drop from the face of earth for months or years?” 

“I don’t owe you anything for how I choose to live my life.” Frannie challenged back, hands on the table as well. 

“You’re right, you don’t owe me. But you owe it to our Mother who cried for months because you sided with Dad and yet, you are here now? Why aren’t you with him and his new girlfriend? You could totally get along fine.” She said through gritted teeth. 

“I….” Frannie looked away.

“Oh, this is rich.” Quinn shook her head in amusement. “He didn’t want you, huh? Welcome to the fucking club.” 

“Quinn…” Rachel tugged at her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist.

“Sorry, but I can’t…” Quinn’s glare softened when her eyes met Rachel’s. “I can’t forget.” 

“I know.” Rachel squeezed her hand a little longer. 

“He wants nothing to do with me, after I dropped out.” Frannie said softly. “He won’t return my calls.”

“So, Mom is the plan B, until he calls back.” Quinn chuckled. “God, you’re like him.” 

“I am not. I am not like him.” Frannie looked into her younger sister’s eyes. “But you...God, you have no idea how similar you two are.” She watched her tense in her chair. “Those disapproving eyes there? Those are just Russell’s.” She had to look away for a moment. “I feel like he’s right here, staring down at me like he used to.” 

“At least, I am not going to give you 30 minutes to pack your bags and get out of here.” Quinn sighed and reached for her glass, to get some relief for her suddenly dry throat. She was still drinking when Judy and Rachel’s Dads decided to walk back, carrying their dinner for the second time that night. 

**RQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQRQ**

She was tossing and rolling around, trying to find a way to fall asleep after the eventful and stressful evening, when she caught the glimpse of the shadow moving outside her window. Checking that the lock on the door was in place, she slipped out of the warm covers to walk towards the window, barefoot. She would’ve recognized that shadow anywhere and when the window was open enough for them to slip in, she simply pushed herself into the familiar arms that she had left less than an hour before. 

“Did I wake you up?” Quinn closed the window with a thud and pulled the curtains closed, to shield them from the full moon shining in front of them. 

“I couldn’t sleep.” Rachel lifted her head from the crook of her neck and stared up into her eyes, despite the almost complete darkness. “Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. Right?” She slipped her hands under the open lapels of her jacket and pushed it off her shoulders, not minding the sound it made when it hit the floor, at their feet. 

“I guess so.” Quinn chuckled softly. She balanced herself on each foot, as she slipped her shoes and socks off and stood on the warm floor, with her bare feet as well. Their natural height difference was re-established. 

“Will you get in trouble for this?” Rachel took a step back and dragged her along, by the front of her cardigan. With each step back, Quinn took two closer until they were pressed together as they fell back onto the mattress. 

“I don’t care, really.” Quinn settled comfortably between her outstretched legs and just looked down at the brunette, whose warm hands were tracing the firmness of her stomach. “I needed to see you.” She dipped her head down to brush her lips along the side of her neck. She kissed her slowly, while her body settled fully against Rachel’s. 

“I needed to see you too.” Rachel nodded against her cheek. “I needed to be with you.” She lifted her hips enough to feel Quinn’s cold hands tug at the waistband of her pj pants and drag them along her thighs along with her underwear. Why waste precious seconds when everything could be taken off in one go?

“I needed to be with you too, Rach.” Quinn’s forehead rested against hers. She pushed against it while her hand fell between her thighs to brush her fingertips along her moist lips. She felt the brunette sigh in her mouth, when the coldness of her fingers met the warmth of her core. 

“You’re overdressed.” Rachel’s nails scratched along her back through the familiar cardigan. It was their favorite. It was theirs. 

“Okay.” Quinn nodded with a kiss and pulled back to just shed her clothes and leave them in a pile, at the foot of the brunette’s bed. “Better?” She said as her panties dropped at last. 

“Much better.” Rachel was sitting up, half naked, with eyes roaming all over her familiar body. She had seen her naked plenty of times and yet, she was taken aback each time. She was just breathless. 

“Now you.” Quinn nodded to the PJ top that she still had on. Dropping on her knees, she dragged the pants and underwear behind her back and just parted her thighs. She just parted them to brush her lips along the insides of her thighs, that trembled each side of her head. 

“Quinn…” Rachel knew where Quinn was heading. She wanted to feel that mouth on her. Usually, it was the best way to start their encounters, but not tonight. Tonight she needed Quinn with her, since the beginning. 

“Yeah.” Quinn was just inches away from her center. She could smell the musky scent mixed with her body lotion. She could almost feel the familiar taste on her lips and tongue. 

“Come here.” Rachel pulled her face up from the chin and then just reclined back, giving Quinn the hint about what she wanted. About what she needed. The blonde took one last look at the source of Rachel’s pleasure and then dragged herself back to her feet, sliding her front over Rachel’s as they moved towards the pillows. 

“Better?” Quinn’s body settled fully on top of hers. Her arms slid under the pillows to cradle her head while their mouths met. They kissed slowly. They kissed softly. They kissed tenderly, even if their bodies seeked each other with more urgence. 

“Perfect.” Rachel’s arms slipped around her waist and her hands stroked along the scar at the base of her spine. She stroked it slowly, as her thighs parted to make more room for Quinn. She made room enough to feel their curls brush intimately. 

“I could do this all day, for the rest of my life.” Quinn nuzzled their noses together and sighed happily, when Rachel’s fingers started tracing the familiar shape around her scar. Stars were really their metaphors, after all. 

“I don’t want to do anything else but loving you, for as long as I live.” Rachel whispered against her parted lips. 

“Well, if you live to be a hundred…” Quinn brushed her lips over her top lip. “I hope to live a hundred minus one day, so I will never have to live without you.” 

“You just quoted Winnie The Pooh to me?” Rachel laughed softly. “Seriously, Quinn? While we’re in the middle of having an intercourse?”

“It felt appropriately romantic!” Quinn laughed with her and nuzzled the side of her face against Rachel’s. 

“Romantic? Yes. Appropriate? Not so much.” Rachel rolled them over and dragged the covers along with her. She wrapped their bodies in her thick duvet, creating a warm cocoon made only of the two of them. Nothing else. 

“Winnie is a classic, Rachel. You can’t go wrong with it.” Quinn settled comfortably on the pillow and circled her girlfriend’s neck with her arms. “I’ve got all the books.”

“You’re so cute.” Rachel chuckled and buried her face against her neck. She curled into her arms, secured in her embrace. 

“Maybe.” Quinn’s lips found her forehead. Her hands tucked the covers around them and held them in place with her forearms. She held Rachel closer, feeling herself relax for the first time in hours. There was nothing that could compare to what Rachel made her feel like. No one else. 

“Are you okay?” Rachel kissed her pulse. Her hand trailed along her side, stroking the skin over her narrow hip bone.

“Now, yes. Always with you.” Quinn nudged her head back to just lean down and drop a tender kiss on her lips. “I’m thankful that you didn’t give up on me, even when I tried to push you away because of the mess I was.” She kissed her gently. “That I still am.”

“I’m thankful that you let me in.” Rachel’s palm cupped her cheek, brushing her thumb over her high cheekbone. “I’m thankful that you let me be there for you, the way you’ve done it for me for all these years.”

“I’m thankful that you love me.” Quinn’s arms tightened around her. “And I hope that our love will last.” 

“I know it will.” Rachel nodded with a watery smile. “Our love will last so long.” She leaned up to catch her lips in a searing kiss, to seal the hope for a future together. 

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> Happy belated Thanksgiving day!


End file.
